Fade-resistant bulk ink options for XP15000 (what combination)

[MLS]

Hi all, about two years ago I started refilling my XP15000 with third-party ink (Inktec from eBay, CMYKRGy). It resulted in severe colour differences compared to OEM, but after profiling (i1pro) it performs excellent. It does not clog or stain, works straight after power up even after 3 months of not using the printer and is really cheap.

The only problem is that the ink fades fast (especially on cheaper papers, but still) and the color balance is effected unevenly. Prints turn red after apx. three months, even when outside direct sunlight. Therefore, I am looking for an alternative in the form of affordable more OEM inks (e.g. Epson ecotank/Canon megatank).
The goal is extend the longevity of framed photos and personal archival (not requiring 100+ years, but decades would be nice).

What option would you recommend today, given I can do my own profiling equipment and risks of fading, clogging & print-head damage should be minimized?

1. Canon GI53 (CMYKRGy), all the right colours, but it will be Canon ink in an Epson printer (a while ago Ink Stained Fingers kindly replied that this should be no problem).
2. Epson Ecotank 114 CMYKGy + original Red 478XL cartridge (which is barely used, but frequently flushed when refilling, still way more expensive though)
3. Epson Ecotank 104/105 (what is the difference?) CMYK + Canon GI53 R+Gy
4. Any other inks/combinations?

Looking forward to your experiences and/or advice!

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

You are completely correct with your observations in regards to longevity of inks

- 3rd party dye inks fade much faster than OEM inks - those which you listed

- dye inks fade faster on cheaper glossy paper of the cast coated type with the paper back than papers of the PE/RC type - those laminated with a very thin PE film on both sides and resin coated on one or both sides onto this PE film

- ink numbers may vary by business region - but you overall listed the best available OEM inks

- GI-53 of the G550/650 Canon Megatank models - these are Chromalife 100 inks in Canon terminology, just forget GI-50 and GI-51 inks

- Epson 106 inks of the ET-7750 - the 105 is the corresponding pigment black which you don't need for glossy papers

- forget Epson 102/104 inks for multipurpose Ecotank printers

- the Epson 114 inks are running on the newer ET-8550, the successor for the ET-7550 , these are classified as Claria inks by Epson. The 106 and 114 inks perform very similar, just go by the lower price.

- I do not have and didn't have problems in the past to run Canon inks in various Epson printers, you may use some of the GI-53 inks as you consider.

- You are correct to profile your papers and inks together for best color fidelity, just don't use the Datacolor Spyder.

I'm currently running a fading test with 3rd party inks incl. Inktec, I'll post results on the weekend, a previous test with OEM inks is posted starting this thread:

https://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/canon-bottled-dye-inks.15247/page-2#post-134151

Many more detailed fading tests were published about a year ago by @maximilian59 and me , longer tests, more details, other papers, but the core results are stated above that there are no better inks than OEM inks in regards to longevity - in combination with a good paper.

But keep in mind that dye inks still fade - typically faster than prints with pigment inks, prints under glass may last longer or you can try a protective spray with some effect but you never will reach 100 or 300 years under non-lab conditions.

And find a way to keep your printer printing now and then - somewhat frequently, you'll get less clogging problems over time and less waste ink from multiple cleaning cycles.

 

[MLS]

Thank you so much for your elaborate answer, this really helps a lot!
Nice to know that the 106 and 114 perform similarly, despite the different marketing. I will definitely check the new fading test results when they are published.

To be honest, I expected properties as minimum/maximum droplet size, viscosity, thermal properties of ink types to have effects on print quality and especially the reliability/longevity of print heads. But, as I can tell by your reply, there are no expected down effects even from mixing different ink brands/types in a print system; even no dye reactions such as uneven/accelerated color fading? That makes a stretched combo of Epson 106 CMYK , Epson 114 Gy and Canon GI-53 R, extreme value for money. Otherwise I could just go for consistency and pick-up a full set of GI-53's...

Anyhow, I will first test a GI-53R in my printer, because Epson is not making any bulk reds (yet).

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I mixed inks in the past when a printer was using inks like green, blue or red - red = 1 part yellow + 1 part magenta; you are doing your profiles which will give you correct output. I compared the gamut with a mixed red vs. a pure red - there is not much of a difference really, and it's one color less you have to care for - purchasing etc. And if you switch to another printer you can continue to use the CMY inks but not the red; red is not that popular in Epson desktops.

You are addressing other physical properties, the user does not have any access to those values, and there is no way to change those for testing; we can assume that Canon Epson etc have optimized them for their printer models.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I stopped the last fading test 2 days earlier because of adverse weather conditions - it's 12 days of exposure - not 2 weeks. But the results are evident

the top line is printed with the Epson 106 inks, the bottom line with the InkTec E0010 inks , it turned into a nice milk chocolade brown, the prints with the other inks are very similar. The E0010 ink is specified for use on a range of Epson 4 color home printers with a dye black, including various L- and ET- series Ecotank-printer models with the 664 inkset.
Give me some more time to get some numbers together to show how the inks in this test rank to each other.

Please have a look to more data in my other thread about fading of various inks on different papers

https://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/canon-bottled-dye-inks.15247/post-134246

 

[The Hat]

That exactly what I get when I use dye black ink for sticky notes or notice stickers, mine even fade completely to a point where they become invisible, after 6 months..

I used FotoRite BK black, but don’t get me wrong, it’s an excellent ink for everyday short term use and never once clogged in all the years I used it, I’ve just recently ordered some BK black form OctoInkjet as a replacement... (Still in the post)

P.S. two weeks is about right..

 

[MLS]

That exactly what I get when I use dye black ink for sticky notes or notice stickers, mine even fade completely to a point where they become invisible, after 6 months..

I used FotoRite BK black, but don’t get me wrong, it’s an excellent ink for everyday short term use and never once clogged in all the years I used it, I’ve just recently ordered some BK black form OctoInkjet as a replacement... (Still in the post)

P.S. two weeks is about right..

View attachment 14061

 

[MLS]

Thank you for the update! That resembles the effects I am encountering when Inktec prints are not behind glass or stored in a box. Great to have an objective measure of the relative performance between OEM now.

Currently my mind is set on Epson 106 (or 114) for all colors except red (due to its best performance and good price per volume) and one a GI-53 or even an original 478xl (because this ink's usage shows almost neglectable in comparison to other colours) for that last color.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Just mix yellow + magenta into red as mentioned before, you won't see a difference to a real red ink in prints, gamuts change more with different papers than with this work around.

 

[MLS]

Do you have any tips on how to harvest the ink from 106/114 and/or GI-53 cartridges? Drill a hole for a syringe and tape it shut afterwards (but risk of debris from drilling)? Or can one easily open the regular access port of the bottles.
Excited to finally take the leap towards less-fading prints at a very affordable price.